The Dragon's Sword
by Osireia
Summary: Kiryu thought she could go back in time to save Oakvale. Instead, she made everything much, much worse. Her future is recast; Jack decides to raise her as his heir and sword against the Guild. What happens when she is captured by the other side? ONESHOT


**Disclaimer:** Unfortuntely, I don't own Fable...and I don't own Fable II either, but that's a rant for another time. Curse my inability to use an X-Box controller...

**A/N: **Just for the sake of randomness, I decided to write this. This is going to be a one-shot; I doubt I'm going to add anything more to this than it already has. Kiryu, by the way, is the name of the heroine in the story. Enjoy?

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The Dragon's Sword

"Rot in Skorm's Hell!" she screamed, the words gouging through her raw throat as a bandit's fist crunched the back of her head.

"Sweet Scarlet, such language is not befitting for a child's delicate ears," the woman's tormentor mocked. Theresa, the child huddled beside her mother in a cocoon-like ball, said nothing. "Now, tell me where the Key is."

Scarlet Robe spat at the Red Robed Warrior's feet before hacking for breath. The bloodthirsty fire gorging on the carcass of their Oakvale cottage seared her flesh with their tongues. Pants of their grey smoke were suffocating her. Her stinging eyes could barely see Jack's obsidian-black armor glinting across from her as she lay sprawled over the floor.

An agonized cry howled from outside. Scarlet felt her eyes well with tears as she imagined which villager it was – was it the kind barista? The armory shopkeeper? A _child? _

Had anyone managed to escape?

The support beams of their ceiling gave a tortured groan, threatening to collapse. Ignoring it, Jack of Blades tilted his head towards the door, listening to the sound of blood vomiting across the cobblestone pathways, of dead bodies thudding onto the grass. "It seems your pitiful town does not even have the courtesy to keep quiet."

"Demon," was Scarlet's weak gasp.

Behind the mask, Jack's eyes narrowed. He waited a moment longer to confirm his observations. The dying voices were beginning to follow are rather disappointing pattern: male, throaty, and utterly uncivilized. Bandits. Apparently, one of the villages in this insignificant town was quite the expert at the sword.

A ghostly swipe hissing through the air confirmed it. He was a master swordsman; the light swish could only have been from a blade. "Maze." Jack diverted his attention back to the two Archon whelps splayed across the filthy wooden floor as he spoke. "See to it that the villager is killed. Slowly."

"Yes, master."

"Now, where were we?" Jack began as the aging sorcerer vanished in a stream of magic. "Ah yes – where is the girl?"

"Gone." Scarlet laughed deliriously. The pain shrieking from her wounds was deafening. "Escaped! Forever out of your grasp!"

A sneer curled Jack's lips. He couldn't care less if she was lying or not, thought she probably was. Scarlet had been a thorn in his side for a while, and he knew the perfect thing to be his tweezers. "Oh? I don't believe your darling Theresa agrees with you."

Scarlet's eyes widened. "No! Leave her alone-"

_Slam!_

The window shattered – a bandit's lifeless body oozed down the outside wall. Jack's eyes darted towards the lithe figure leaping past the fallen victim, her velvety cloak swathing behind her. Through the broken down door, she was starkly visible.

The former Slayer of Balverines stared up at the woman slinking towards them, her sleek, molten crimson hair smoldering under the flames. A relishing smirk twisted her lips. "K-Kiryu?"

"Yes, mother," she answered, her feral golden eyes refusing to leave her next target's face. Already she scanned him, sizing him up, though considering how many times she'd battled him, it was hardly necessary.

The spell had worked. She was back at the night of the Oakvale Raid. She would save her family.

"How-?" Scarlet wondered out loud, unknowingly echoing Jack's own inner growl.

The bloodline of Archon clearly radiated from this one. If that wasn't enough, her features resembled the two on the floor well enough to mark her as Scarlet's spawn. But this girl – Kiryu – she was supposed to be a small child. The woman standing in the door-less entrance was an adult.

No matter. He could torture what he wanted out of this one, too, if need be. Her appearance here, as odd as it was, didn't mean she could match _his _skill.

"This – this is impossible!" Scarlet continued to rasp, the sound irritating Jack's ears. "How could you possibly be-?"

"It doesn't matter." Her striking eyes flashed malevolently. She switched from scrutinizing to deceptively unconcerned in a heartbeat and drawled, "Dear Jack, if you wish to harm my mother and sister, you'll have to get past me first. Pardon the cliché, of course." Kiryu unsheathed her sword with a savoring slowness. "I'm going to love every moment of this," she whispered. Oh, and she would. He'd taken _everything _from her. He was going to feel all the pain he had caused her in excruciating detail, she promised it. "And this time, perhaps I'll take your mask as a trophy."

The masked hero's eyes latched onto the sword she was holding. Surely it couldn't be-?

Of course not. His sword leapt into his gloved hands. "Such a morbid desire for death is unhealthy, little Kiryu. I will enjoy it when you _beg _for mercy."

Kiryu laughed cruelly, taking a swift step outside. "'Beg', Jack? I think not – killing you never gets old!"

The robed hero seethed at what the heroine's words implied. A cold smile frosted his eyes. "I have existed for millennia – you cannot defeat me. Go on. Lady's first."

"Thank you. I think I shall." The heroine Battle Charged at him with a yell, bringing down her in a vicious arc. Jack slashed his own weapon across, blocking the strike. A violent garnet snaked around Kiryu's sword; she slammed down her blade, and instantly her Multi-Strike spell began its ferociously quick attacks.

The tip of the sword clanked against Jack's night-black armor. It wasn't damaging. _But,_ Jack realized, _it means that the girl has skill._

The two separated, circling each other while they looked for an opening. Kiryu ran what she knew of her opponent's fighting style through her head once again. She had fought him once in human form, but it had been enough. First off, he preferred to wait for his attackers, to let them make the first error, and then take advantage of it. He favored his Assassin Rush, especially when he thought it was possible he might risk injury. When he sliced his sword across, she would have to do everything necessary not to be in the way of the sapphire flames that would soar at her.

And speaking of which…

Kiryu rolled out of the way and jumped to her feet. Unfortunately, Jack was ready. He Rushed to the side and sent another armada of flames at her. This time, they didn't miss their target. An infuriated and anguished cry escaped Kiryu's lips as she was knocked to her feet and skidded across the grass.

Jack taunted, "Your father fought like a bumbling drunkard before he died. It's such a shame his little daughter has followed his footsteps."

A blinding fury choked her as she heard the words. "My father," she gritted out, "will watch this and smile." No one could ever infuriate her like this _murder _could, her short-temper put aside. She had almost lost their first battle because of it, but she had learned.

Kiryu slammed her fist into the ground, and instantly a ring of fire snapped up from the ground. Something similar to a growl came from in front of her, but still, Jack's inhuman ability to never lose this footing **(A/N: seriously) **hadn't deserted him.

Summoning her Multi-Strike again, Kiryu dashed at him and cut into his defenses. Hours passed, or was it minutes? Either way, now came the part she liked to call the Dance of Death: the time when every cut, every thrust, and every block was in a perfect, smooth sync. Everything faded except for the battle. Nothing else mattered, nothing else existed. It was pure instinct and habit meshed into one.

Only minutes, if not seconds after, came the unexpected twist, the moment when either your opponent fell, or you did.

Metal clanged against metal. The Sword of Aeons clashed against Jack's katana.

The sharp, intoxicating taste of victory tingled on her tongue. She could feel herself pushing him back, but she swallowed it – anticipation could make a person sloppy. Instead, she let her eyes dart to any possible opening that may exist.

There!

She lunged for it, when suddenly, she was being yanked back. Magic trilled around her. Her eyes widened – the spell she had used to come here was dying! "No!" Kiryu screamed, desperately trying to complete her strike. She couldn't leave. Not now, now when she was so _close..!_

Golden runes and hieroglyphs whirled wildly around her and vanished. So did Oakvale.

"_No!_" Kiryu bellowed yet again as she reappearec, smashing the Guild walls with her sword.

"Heroine, I'm sorry-" the Guild Master began cautiously.

"You said you could fuel the spell if it ran out!"

"I know, but-"

"How could you _fail?_" She glared murderously at the petite man. "We had already perfected this spell! And now, he knows how much of a threat I am. He will comb the woods for me. Do you understand what this _means?_"

The Guild Master did understand. They had failed, and Jack would find the girl hiding in the forest just outside of Oakvale. The Red Robed Warrior hadn't truly bothered to have a detailed search before – he hadn't thought anyone could defeat him. Now he knew.

"We have changed the future," the Guild Master lamented, "profoundly." Who would stop Jack from taking the Sword of Aeons? Who would defeat him when he manifested behind the Bronze Gate?

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"You can't hide forever, _little _Kiryu," Jack sneered. A mere minute of contemplation and speaking with Maze and he knew how an adult version of Scarlet's youngest daughter had appeared. Time travel. It bordered on fantasy, but nothing truly fell under that category with Will.

The inky shadows drowned his and Maze's figures as they tore through the forest. The villagers' screams had long since been silenced, their mutilated bodies the only proof of what had transpired. Scarlet had been taken to Bargate Prison, and Theresa had been dumped into the forest somewhere.

A ghostly breeze whispered through the tree leaves. Jack stilled. The unwitting crunch of a leaf from someone not trying to be heard issued from a thicket beside him.

Frightened, golden eyes peered up at him from behind the bush. Snarling, Jack sliced at it, and the child yelped. The red-headed girl scrambled to her feet, but never made it. Jack's claw-like fingers seized her wrist.

"Ah, Kiryu. You were such a hasty fool to come tonight."

"Let go of me!" The girl kicked uselessly, her tiny feet not even felt by his obsidian armor. Her eyes pooled with tears as she fought. A frigid panic was throttling her, making it almost impossible to think, but even so she could recognize who she was looking at. Every naughty child had been threatened with death by his hand.

"Master," Maze began, staring at the child. He stepped forwards as if to pull the girl away, but didn't. The masked hero could have laughed. It was no secret to him that his disloyal lackey was pleading for a savior who could defeat him.

And he had found one – the thought alone was enough to tempt him to destroy Albion, with or without the Sword.

The girl was flailing futilely as he gazed down at her. It was quite pathetic, actually. He considered which prolonged and painful death he would give this one. What would give her the most agony?

A lazy thought passed through him. He paused to consider it. It wasn't his usual manner, but it was…interesting. And yes, it would possibly be more painful than any death could be.

Why kill the girl? Why not do what he had with Maze, and have her grow up serving him? He could see how darkness had flown through Kiryu as an adult. She had so much _anger. _Corrupting her wouldn't be difficult, especially at this tender age. He could be very…persuasive when he wished it.

The irony was delicious. The girl would serve her parent's killer with all her heart, destroying the Guild that would have been her family in what she would believe was revenge.

Besides, he could always kill her if she outlived her usefulness.

"Hasn't your mother ever told you to treat your saviors well?"

The almost embarrassingly piteous flailing stopped. Slowly, Kiryu looked up, her eyes wide. "Y-you saved me?"

"Of course," Jack returned smoothly.

She said nothing for a moment. His white mask, red eyes, and towering height must have been terrifying for her. Then she climbed to her feet and wiped her tears. "W-who did this?"

Ah, a brave one. He was hardly surprised. "Why, the Guild of course." Behind him, an audible choking noise came from Maze's throat. "Come." He turned to walk away, his crimson cloak trailing sinuously in his awake. Hesitating for less than a second, Kiryu ran after him, struggling to keep up with his long, effortless strides.

She bit back whimpers of pain as the branches gnashed at her skin and pushed forward, forcing herself into a jog after the demon they called the Red Robed Dragon. _No, not a demon, _she told herself. _He saved me. He stopped the bandits from doing to me what they did to…to everyone. _

Kiryu sped up with even more resolve. She wasn't going to be a hindrance to the person who had protected her. She owed him.

Eventually they crossed the bridge, coming closer to her home. Kiryu's legs ached and she panted for breath. Jack and the other man were silent, the trip completely untiring for them. Her cheeks simmered slightly. She would do better next time.

But all her thoughts were obliterated the moment her feet touched the end of the bridge. She squinted and then her insides iced. A body lay in the streets, its blood smeared across him.

For a moment Kiryu didn't recognize it, but as she stepped closer, she realized she knew this man. The cropped copper hair, the gentle shape of his face…

"Father," she croaked. Her knees betrayed her, and Kiryu collapsed against his chest, silently begging for him to wake up and tell her that he was alright, that this was all a terrible dream. She gripped his wet shirt, her trembling hands slippery with his blood. Never had her father felt so cold, so lifeless.

Jack leered down at the weeping girl and her feeble father. Oh, it had been a delight toying with the fool and laughing at his amusing attempts at using a sword. He had even allowed the contemptible excuse for Scarlet's husband to fetch his weapon when he had knocked it out of his hands. Scarlet was so blind to chose this man to care for.

Inwardly gloating, he waited. Maze shifted uneasily by his side, most likely feeling some _touching _need to comfort the child. Irritation flared within him; he despised being surrounded by such weakness. It was like a plague, one he had long inoculated himself from, but one he loathed to expose himself to regardless.

_Please, please, please, _she silently whispered into her father's shirt. The cold terrified her. It told her that he really was gone, and she didn't want to listen. But no…he really was…dead.

Memories flashed through her mind. She saw her father embracing her mother, playing with Theresa, and heard his voice as he read to her at bedtime. She saw his smile…

_He's dead. Someone murdered him. _

_He's _dead.

Realization sank its claws into her and finally Kiryu released her father's corpse. "Help me," she barely managed to whisper up to her 'savior'. "Help me find who did this. I want – I want-" she could not find the words to voice what she wanted. Her anguish and fury was unlike anything she had ever felt before, or had known was possible. "I want to _kill _them." The words came out in a harsh, grating hiss.

Jack laughed softly, callously. He deserved a trophy for his one. "Swear your allegiance to me, and I will make it so."

Her chin held high, her eyes seething with determination, Kiryu met his crimson gaze. "I swear."

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**A/N: **Aren't you sick of these author notes yet? Well, sorry! But seriously, I wanted to say that this story is currently a oneshot. I have a plot in mind, but I don't want to start before I've finished _Warrior's Heir, _and, to be honest, I'm not sure if I will make this longer. At least, I'd need a solidified outline. Anyway, thanks for reading!


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